German Chancellor Schroeder goes to Moscow to talk to Putin about the war in Ukraine / Article

Politico reports that Schroeder wants to act as a mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war, citing informed sources.

Schroeder’s close relationship with the Kremlin and senior positions in Russian companies earned him criticism in Germany.

The German Social Democrats (SPD), including Schroeder, have called on him to clearly condemn Putin’s war in Russia.

Sources in the German government told the DPA that the government was unaware of Schröder’s visit, but German Chancellor Olaf Scholz declined to comment.

Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, Andrius Melnik, suggested a week ago that Schroeder could become a mediator between Ukraine and Russia. Melnik said Schroeder could be one of the few people in Germany who still has direct access to Putin.

Schroeder commented on the war in Ukraine on February 24, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. He called on Russia to end the war in Ukraine and the human suffering it caused as soon as possible.

At the same time, Schröder emphasized the need for sanctions, but that in other areas European and Russian ties should not be severed.

CONTEXT:

On February 24, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine following a statement by its President Vladimir Putin on a “military special operation”, initially attacking military infrastructure, but later, when resistance from Ukrainian forces proved unexpectedly fierce. increasingly brutal bombardment of Ukrainian cities, civilians are also dying.

Ukraine and Russia have also repeatedly agreed to build humanitarian corridors, as in many cities people cannot get even the most necessary goods, so they are trying to evacuate civilians from the cities hard hit by the fighting. However, several evacuation attempts have failed because Russia has not kept its promise to stop the fire during the evacuation.

Russia’s action has paid off sharp condemnation from a democratic world. Western countries have determined several sanctions though against Russiathough against Belarussupporting the Kremlin’s decision to attack Ukraine. Meanwhile, more and more foreign companies are boycotting Russia and suspending their operations in that country.

Almost two weeks after the invasion, more than two million people have fled Ukraine, shows Data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. In total, experts estimate that the crisis in Ukraine could leave 12 million people homeless. Latvia going to host 10,000 potential Ukrainian refugees.

A live text archive of Russia’s attack on Ukraine is available here.

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